Did you notice the red and blue lights in the sky in mid-October? Your eyes were not tricking you, those were the northern lights, or aurora borealis.

Typically most visible in the arctic region, the phenomenon was visible because, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a G4 geomagnetic storm will produce vibrant lights.
Space weather officials said a G4-level coronal mass ejection “erupted from the Sun” the evening of Tuesday, October 15, which produced visibility of the aurora borealis in our backyard. This instance was only the second of this severity in 20 years.

In addition to the vibrant lights in the sky, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was informed that potential glitches to the power grid could occur due to this geo-magnetic storm.

Thankfully, there weren’t any noticeable issues reported in the northern New Mexico region.

The most damaging geomagnetic storm in history was the Carrington Event, an 1858 solar storm that spewed electrified gas and subatomic particles toward Earth, causing telegraph lines to spark and electrocuting operators. The northern lights danced around the globe, extending as far south as Jamaica in this incident.

Thankfully, nothing close to this happened in this storm. It’s unclear when the next event could occur, but when it’s announced, we will be sure to inform you so you can watch for the sky.